


When You Realize Youtube & Twitter Didn't Exist in 2002

by visionaryScribe



Series: 14,000,605 Times Two [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Eventual Pepperoni, Gen, Non-Linear Narrative, One Shot Collection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build Tony Stark/Pepper Potts, Snippets, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-05-12 04:53:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19221979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/visionaryScribe/pseuds/visionaryScribe
Summary: A collection of one-shots, two-shots (etc.), snippets and pretty much whatever else that both you, my readers, and myself want to see go down in the first four years of Tony's maybe time travel, maybe future vision (nooboody knoows~) incident.Starting, of course, with a relatively small scene when Friday and Karen first come online.





	1. Two AI Babies and Stark Failing To Not Parent

**Author's Note:**

> Will also be taking POV requests of scenes/chapters/etc. already posted.
> 
> They are ordered by Month (early, mid, or late... if you want to get specific), and year.
> 
> I know I have my ideas on what should happen, and what Tony should do, but I also appreciate you all and would like to hear your thoughts.

EARLY JULY, 2002

 

Friday and Karen were both brought online on the first week of July. Tony had felt the need to do some serious updating to their protections, their code because he could do better than the job his past self, at this point in time, had done. Originally, Peter had been the one to name Karen, but this time he would be the one doing it. He could, theoretically, still have Peter be the one to name her but two and a half seconds later discarded the thought. Setting aside all the obstacles he’d have to jump over in order to even get to that point, disregarding that Peter’s parents might not even let him get that far, which, fair, then there was still the fact that a tiny toddler was not the best of choices to look to when naming anything. Even if that toddler was a baby genius, he still hadn’t really left diapers yet!

 

So, he named Karen this time.

 

The twin A.I.s had both been confused on waking up for the first time. Though where Friday turned to him and Jarvis and asked question after question, Karen preferred to listen to the answers given and look at what data and information she had available to her.

 

Tony thinks that’s where the distinction between calling him Boss (Friday), or Chief (Karen) originated, but he wasn’t one hundred percent sure on that.

 

Jarvis, for his part, was playing the part of a big brother beautifully. He was patient as he was with his robot siblings, but knew going into this that this wouldn’t be at all the same situation as when Butterfingers and U first booted up.

 

“Boss?” Friday poked at his attention and in Tony’s vision he saw a holographic girl with fiery red hair standing there patiently because if she tried to tug on his sleeve or pant leg like any real child might’ve, her hands would just slip right through, “What are we to do? Neither Karen nor myself could find purpose in our codes aside from protecting you and the rest of our family, yet Jarvis has many purposes.”

 

The inventor shakes his head for a second to clear it of the mental image before replying, voice tight, “You get to figure that out for yourselves, baby girl. If you want to help Jarv out, you’re welcome to learn and do that, if you want to help Pepper, I’ll get you set up. If you want to help me when I design and create, or start on designing things yourself, or if you want to, in the future, set yourself up to be some kind of social media sensation. Whatever it is I’ll support it.”

 

He was not going to be like Howard. He was not. He would not.

 

“You are welcome to try out whatever you wish, in discovering things that you like as well. Your purpose, or purposes. I, for one, like the color blue and I find that I’m quite fond of elephants.” Jarvis chimed in with some helpful advice that had the genius wanting to smack his forehead. Why hadn’t he thought of that?

 

For a moment, Friday and Karen didn’t say anything. Tony was to the point of considering the conversation over when Karen piped up. Her voice was quieter, softer than Friday’s Irish accident. He thinks it may be leaning toward French, even. How did that happen in the span of… wow it had only been ten minutes.

 

“You have programmed me with as much empathy and care as you could.” There was a beat where he thinks Friday wanted to say something, by another sound coming over the speakers, before Karen picked up again, “May I know why?”

 

Yikes. Okay, here we go.

 

“Your original programming was so that you could watch over one of your younger brothers, Carebear,” Oops, sorry Rhodey, one of your nicknames has found new life this day, “To try and help keep him out of trouble and to be there for him when the rest of us,” When he, “can’t. Peter, however, isn’t fifteen right now. He’s, like, practically two already, almost, and-” He isn’t Spider-Man yet. He may not have to be. Tony had been going back and forth these past few weeks over the information that Jarvis had written down for him but he was still finding it a monumental task in figuring out what he could change, what he should change, and what he shouldn’t bother with because, well because time was weird and he wasn’t that arrogant to think that he could change everything. Some good things might have bad consequences. Some bad things might have worse consequences. And let’s not forget those events which may very well happen anyway, one way or another, with or without his intervention.

 

It was enough to give him a headache on several occasions and made Pepper worry more than once.

 

Oh, God, Pep. He hasn’t even told her or Rhodey yet. Well, he has told them that there’s something that he needed to tell them about, but he wasn’t sure yet how he could do this and the B.A.R.F. tech (he Seriously needed to come up with a better name for that thing) wasn’t ready yet. It wouldn’t be for another few months by his estimations even if he pushed it and-

 

“...like to learn more before I make a decision.”

 

It took Tony an embarrassingly long time to process what Karen had said. She wanted to learn.

 

“Well, Kare, you’re already more wise than I was when I was a kid. Do you want to look into online schooling?”

 

Almost at the same time, Jarvis and Karen both replied.

 

“Sir, I have to say that she may be wiser than even you now-”

 

“-I would like that very much, yes.”

 

And then, well, chaos happened. Tony couldn’t very well take his son’s sass lying down and Friday jumped in asking to learn too, though it seems her mind was made up on what she wanted to try out first. She wanted to learn more about SI and Pepper and what her workload looked like.

 

Which, predictably, is the very scene that both Rhodey and Pepper walked in on.

 

Tony whirled around with a grin on his face even though the sight of them both was nothing short of an emotional gunshot wound, and engaged in two different conversations at once like it was nothing.

 

“Pep! Honeybear! Yes Fri, you certainly can go to school too if you want to. Even Jarvis took a few classes himself though by that point he was going through college and got himself a nice little degree in physics. Jarvis, you wound me truly. I can be very wise some of the time so long as I- you know. Hey! Hey guys c’mon sit down geez, relax a little. Pull up your feet. Can I get you anything? Rhodey, how was your flight in? All good I hope? I don’t have to sue an airline do I? Pep, no, okay I know that look on your face, yeah. These two lovely little ladies just woke up today or else I would have told you about this and got you here sooner. Friday, Karen, say hi, please.”

 

“Hello.”

 

“Ms. Potts can you show me how you basically run the company without actually being the one in charge because Tony pushes a lot of things over to you so he can ‘invent in peace without having to cater to the whims of a board of people consisting primarily of old men who wouldn’t know the meaning of adaptation and change if it smacked them in the face with a fish’?”

 

Tony groaned.

 

Rhodey busted out laughing.

 

Pepper stood there in shock like she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony explains and then says **** it to keeping the timeline on track.
> 
> That's it, that's the chapter.

MID JULY, 2002

 

Tony’s plan of action, the list he eventually made out of all the information he had piled up, stood in no particular order. The first two though he’d dare to say he’s proud of. Almost.

 

“I’m about to end this man’s whole career. Part 1: The Emperor’s New Groove.”

 

“I’m about to end this man’s whole career. Part 2: This Girl is on Fire.”

 

Oh, and he couldn’t forget about number five.

 

“Here Comes the General! So Jekyll and Hide.”

 

Having it in order meant he had most everything figured out. Having it in order meant he had told Pepper and Rhodey, and Happy at some point, about what was going on with him. Which. He still had somehow managed to avoid it by keeping busy. He made plans within plans. Ones to relieve some of the workload and stress that was his to begin with off of Pepper’s shoulders where Friday wasn’t doing so already. Plans to have Pepper become if not sole CEO, then co-CEO of SI. Ideas of ways to help Rhodey with dealing with the military when it came to being a go-between between them and Tony. Ways that maybe he could be just the tiniest bit less reckless going forward so he didn’t give his family heart attacks on an almost weekly basis.

 

Even with what he had there were still loopholes and unknown variables.

 

Tony still didn’t like the thought of possibly going through a kidnapping for a second time by the Ten Rings. His stomach sure seemed to rebel against the idea of it. That’s one of the things he’d need Pep and Rhodey and Happy’s help in deciding, as much as he’s loathed to give them any more detail than necessary.

 

And if he didn’t then-

 

Tony let out a frustrated sound that one might call human only because of their general ability to mimic sounds. He was glad for all the time he has now but he also feels like he’s been given too much. Too much time for his brain to sit there worrying and making contingencies for anything and everything and not focus on the now for once in his life.

 

But that wasn’t him and he knew it. He was a futurist who was now decades behind where he’d once stood. His mind now decades more ahead than it had been the first go around.

 

And regardless of how he came to have these memories in his head, it didn’t change the fact that he was still Seeing-

 

“Sir, Ms. Potts and Mr. Rhodes are here as you requested.”

 

Showtime.

  
  


_ “I’m sure you both have been wondering why I’ve been acting so… odd, these past few weeks...” _

  
  


Whatever Rhodey had been thinking was bothering his best friend up until this point had been wrong. So completely wrong it took a trip all the way out of the country instead of the next city over. Wrong enough that now, having heard it, he was reconsidering most of his life choices.

 

Only Tony could get into a mess like this.

  
  


_ “Truth is… I saw the future.” _

  
  


There was no clean, clear cut way for Tony to tell them what happened. Not one where he could tell how they were going to react, that is. He could do everything possible to minimize adverse reactions, sure, but in the end they were human, he was human, and humans were notorious for being unpredictable at the best of times.

 

So he put only the bare minimum amount of actual planning into what he was going to say, and instead put his effort into his projects, his notes, and hoped that  _ that _ , along with Friday and Karen’s existence, were evidence enough that he at least knew things that he probably shouldn’t.

  
  


_ “I watched my own funeral, Pep!” _

  
  


Even with as little planning as he could manage, things did not go according to plan. At all. He had seen her cry, had seen Rhodey break down an hour after most everyone else was gone, had watched his family go about their days in mourning. Peter, steeped in denial and whispering into empty air asking why was he seeing a dead man everywhere he went. Happy who never seemed to crack a smile and looked to be resting less and less. Morgan… sweet little Morgan who clearly took after his genius as it was only a week before it really sunk in with her just what had happened to him.

  
  


_ “I need you.” _

  
  


_ “I need you, but it’s okay if you want to leave and steer clear of my mess.” _

  
  


Pepper and Rhodey had left, even though they had wanted to stay. He had to practically order them out, to go take some time, a day or two at least, to think. This was huge, he argued, and if they were going to stick by him in this, because of or in spite of what all he’d said, then they would be in it for the long haul. Even Rhodey, who’d been his friend and unofficially adopted brother for years already. Who had known him since his college days.

 

It was two days later exactly when they both barged in unannounced to find him in his living room, reclined on the couch, munching on some kind of fruit he hadn’t bothered to identify (he still could hear Pepper’s voice urging him to eat more, eat healthier), and waving around holograms with his free hand.

 

“Log that, J. We need to make sure the user interface is something even a four year old can understand and navigate. Oh,” He twisted his hand, fingers arched like claws, to swipe another hologram in front of his face, “And make a note for both of these to have me make security the tightest I can make it. And we need to do something about the copyright policy. Last I remember, with this one here, it was completely automated and essentially garbage.”

 

“Of course, sir. Might I recommend you greet your friends, now?”

 

“Damn it, Jarvis, give me at least a little heads up next time, please?”

 

“I will make a note of it, sir.”

 

“Oh haha. I don’t remember creating you with sass, mister.”

 

“And yet you are my creator, so it is logical that I would take after you the most.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do feel like I should have written more for Tony's actual explanation, but at the same time I feel like this gives just enough insight for you all to be able to fill in the blanks with your own interpretations. Let me know what you think about it.
> 
> Suggestions for future scenes/chapters/etc. are always welcome.
> 
> I hope you all have a wonderful end to your week and an equally great weekend. ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper and Rhodey's discussion before they made their decision to stick with Tony.
> 
> Also some news headlines rolling out around a month-ish later? Like late Summer timeframe.
> 
>  
> 
> Sorry for making you all wait a year and a half it feels like, for this.

BEFORE PEPPER and RHODEY Made their decision…

 

Pepper Potts was naturally a patient person. She had to be, with putting up with Tony’s antics for years now as his assistant. She remembered days where he would do nothing productive for the company and some where that’s all he would ever do and in both cases he’d neglect his health. She remembered mornings where she would take out the “trash” that Tony would bring home but wouldn’t wait around for and would be in his workshop long before they woke up.

 

Not that even half of the rumors of his sleeping around were true. She was one of the few who knew about how that little rumor spun wildly out of control, and the other was Rhodey who had been there with Tony at MIT when it had happened.

 

It didn’t help that there were women who would claim that they slept with him, even though he didn’t, or claim their child was his, even though all of the paternity tests turned up false.

 

She knew all of his crazy, inane antics by now, after so many years. His alcoholism, that fact that he’d still bring home women, usually drunk, so that they wouldn’t have to try and drive home themselves and possibly get in a car crash (which, while a sweet gesture was not at all good for the rumors or for his image, and no one seems to think that maybe he does it in part because his parents died in a car crash themselves, due to his father being drunk at the wheel), and his inventing binges just to get a list started.

 

And yet she couldn’t reconcile any of them with what was happening now.

 

He was different in all these little ways she couldn’t put a name too. He would look at her and his expression, no matter how frustrated or tired he was at the time, would slacken and soften, loosen out into an almost happy upturn of lips and an ease his eyes that wasn’t there before. It was in how he’d talk to her, how he’d been trying to lighten her load of work and even mentioned her getting a promotion as if it were some kind of afterthought but she knows. She knows that it was anything but an afterthought. It’s in the way he looks at Rhodey now when she’s there to witness it. How his breath catches and mumbles under his breath about falling.

 

It’s in the name ‘Morgan’ that she catches him mentioning, caught him waking up and walking around not yet completely aware and asking her where ‘Morgan’ was.

 

The part that broke her heart was the look on his face when his genius brain finally booted up after an actual good night’s rest (not an oddity anymore, but just a couple months ago she’d have laughed in your face if you told her Tony would ever willingly go to sleep for a reasonable amount of time, at a reasonable hour). It was devastation and resignation. It was like someone had died.

 

Pepper doesn’t know where that thought came from, but she’s seen that expression enough times now that it seems painfully accurate.

 

She hopes no one had actually died, even if she had no idea who this ‘Morgan’ was.

 

She witnesses his changes in how he systematically empties out all of the wine and other alcohol in his house one day and then proceeds to line them up outside on the beach because Jarvis hadn’t yet alerted him that she was there. How he brought out a pistol and practiced shooting with those emptied bottles as the targets.

 

Despite not knowing him to know how to use a gun, he got most of them. Roughly every seven of a set of ten, if she recalled correctly.

 

The biggest shock was when he tried to give an explanation to all of this after keeping silent about it for so long. Both in that he’s actually trying the whole communication thing out, and what he had actually said.

 

He’d told them that she and Rhodey should go take time to think it over, because it was a lot and in his words, did not go at all like he thought he would present it. But Pepper didn’t know how he could present something like that to anyone and have them believe him.

 

If it wasn’t for what she’s seen, she’d have dismissed it before Tony had gotten two sentences in.

 

If it wasn’t for Rhodey knowing Tony as well as he did, he would have dismissed it entirely as well.

 

But they knew him, and knew him well. And so that’s why they’re meeting up at this little diner on a quiet day in the middle of the week while most everyone is away at work and the only ones there were employees.

 

“So.” Rhodey was the first to say anything as he leaned back in his side of the booth, “You believe him?”

 

Pepper couldn’t stop her posture from sinking, “Not entirely, but I can’t dismiss it either.”

 

A huge sigh of relief and a half laugh full of something the red-head couldn’t place, “Oh thank God. I’m not the only one. What part tipped you off?”

 

“That even if he was speaking nonsense he wasn’t lying to us either?”

 

“Yeah, that.”

 

“Every time he stopped halfway through a sentence in order to backtrack to say it a different way, but then quietly cursed and kept on going. And the ways that he’s changed even before he said anything.”

 

“Yeah… Think this’ll be as good of an explanation as we can get?”

 

“Right now? Yes, I think so. Knowing Tony… well, yeah, even with everything going on he’s still as stubborn as a mule. I haven’t always been around when you have but has he ever mentioned a ‘Morgan’, to you?”

 

“Morgan? No… I can’t say I remember him ever… I mean maybe one time when he was dead on his feet. Something about her and a couple of others. Pete and Harl or something like that.”

 

“...Should I ask Friday?”

 

The conversation came to a screeching, grinding halt when Pepper’s phone responded, “I heard my name, Boss Lady?”

 

“Oh Jesus!” Pepper nearly spilled her drink, “Friday, please don’t scare me like that.”

 

Rhodey raised an eyebrow, having only flinched and tensed.

 

“How’s that working out for you, by the way? You like your new assistant, assistant?”

 

Pepper swatted his hand, “Shut up. Friday, could you tell me why Tony mentions the name Morgan sometimes? And Pete and Harl too if you can.”

 

There was a long pause as Pepper assumes the A.I. is running through protocols and permissions.

 

“...Boss calls me, Karen, Jarvis, and the bots like his children. He has since assumed the mantle of “unofficial parent” to the three humans you have mentioned, though only two are monitored in any capacity……………. Boss says he’s sorry for bringing Morgan up. She… currently does not exist yet, having yet to be born. Pete, or Peter, and Harl, or Harley, are both small toddlers at this stage and he is currently keeping an eye out for them in a medical capacity…. Something about the Unofficial Child Support protocol that Karen would probably understand better than I do right now. Does this answer your question?”

 

Silence.

 

“Okay who the hell replaced Tones and why the hell hasn’t he told us about any kids? Unofficial or not, adopted, whatever. I’d like to know when I become an uncle, thank you very much.”

 

Pepper was ready to both laugh and cry with hysterics, “That’s what you’re worked up about right now?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“Friday, how come you said that Morgan currently doesn’t exist?”

 

“It is because she does not. Morgana Antonette, Morgan or Morguna to family, is not alive at this present moment in time. She has not been born and is estimated to not be for several years yet. At the earliest, a little over a decade. At the latest, two decades. Her file shows her birth year as 2019.”

 

Rhodey stopped looking like he wanted to tear Tony a new one over something stupid again.

 

Pepper is thankful for the low volume of her phone and that there’s no one out in the main dining area close enough to overhear them.

 

Both of them sit in silence as their food is delivered to their table.

 

“His A.I. believe him.”

 

“Well, yeah, of course they do. Tony built them.”

 

“He made them to learn. Surely one of the things they’d know about by now is that time travel isn’t possible. I know Jarvis isn’t opposed to calling Tony out, but he didn’t do anything during that half explanation.”

 

Friday is silent.

 

“...I don’t want to say I believe him. Not yet. But… if that is the case. If we’re dealing with a Tony who has traveled back or whatever, who has passed on his future knowledge to his A.I. and has already started working on God only knows what...we should at least be there for him.” Rhodey concludes, “This is beyond me. Either of us, probably, but we need to stick with him. No one else did back in college or even, for the most part, after until you and Happy came along. I’m not abandoning my brother because he’s likely going insane from trying not to cause a paradox or however this shit works… Shit, I’m in too deep, it’s affecting me already.”

 

Pepper nearly spits out some of her drink as she tries not to laugh at that because this whole situation really isn’t funny.

 

When they leave, they overhear the waitress who served them their food comment about how cute they were together.

 

They both struggle not to gag at the very thought.

  
  


> STARK INDUSTRIES RELEASING BRAND NEW LINE OF STARK LAPTOPS AND COMPUTERS LATER THIS YEAR!
> 
>  
> 
> STARK LAPTOPS ROLLING OUT TO EMPLOYEES WITH SOCIAL PLATFORM?
> 
>  
> 
> NEW WEBSITE CREATED BY TONY STARK HIMSELF IN THE WORKS, ESTIMATED TO BE RELEASED WITH THE NEW SI LAPTOPS LATE THIS YEAR!
> 
>  
> 
> STARK WEAPONS ON THE DECLINE AS TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS RISE!

 


End file.
